


(Reformatory)

by lookoutforburningbuildings



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Backstory, Child Murder, Graphic Description of Corpses, Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Smoking, Title from a Nicole Dollanganger Song, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, because I love her, enjoy my obscure kin memories, its gavin kinnie hours folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 23:17:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15806565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookoutforburningbuildings/pseuds/lookoutforburningbuildings
Summary: The scene was too reminiscent of Gavin's past.





	(Reformatory)

The scene was fucking brutal. A child no older than ten slaughtered in cold blood, head bashed into the wall until his forehead was a bloodied pulp and his skull was broken to pieces. That and the knife stabbed into his chest forty times, the last one leaving the knife inside his chest. The wall and floor was drenched in blood. The only possible suspect to be the one to do this? The boy’s father.

 

Gavin felt sick, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of the corpse. He watched as a drop of blood dripped from the head wound down his chin, falling onto his stained white shirt. He barely even heard his partner calling for him. He just stared blankly at the child. He didn’t even turn his head to acknowledge that Akira was there.

 

“Detective. Come with me, I think I might have found where the suspect went.” He said. Gavin nodded, not even listening. “Detective?” He asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. He flinched away from the touch and quickly looked over, almost afraid. Akira looked confused. He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts away from himself.

 

“Ye-yeah...lead the way.” He said, trying to keep his eyes off the body by keeping them closed until he had turned away from it. He looked up at Akira, who looked very confused, tilting his head to the side. “Come on, you had, uh, something to show me?”

 

“...Yes.” Akira nodded, turning and walking off to the hallway. Gavin took one last glance at the body before following him. Akira had led him to another room where it had been obvious the suspect had climbed through the window and ran off. After a long while of more investigating, Gavin found himself staring at the child again. “Detective Reed, is everything okay?” Akira asked, noticing him staring while he was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter.

 

“I’m fuckin’ fine.” Gavin growled mindlessly, though his voice held no venom in it. Akira walked over and sat down at the barstool of the kitchen counter, looking at Gavin from across it. The two stood and sat there for a good minute, no interaction, just Gavin staring at the body and Akira staring at him. “What do you fucking want.” He asked through grit teeth.

 

“Is something wrong?” Akira asked. “You seem like you’re distracted, more so than usual.” He observed, following Gavin’s line of vision to the child’s corpse. He looked back and Gavin sighed.

 

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He said, pushing himself off the table. “I’ll be outside.” Before Akira could even protest or ask anything, Gavin had left the scene to the house’s backyard. Akira was confused now. He had never seen Gavin so distracted. He was an asshole, but he was good at his job, that was for sure. He had never acted like this during any crime scene. Akira decided he should probably follow Gavin.

 

He made his way outside, seeing him there with a lit cigarette between his fingers. “Gavin, is there something wrong?” He asked. Gavin glanced over and shook his head. “Are you sure? You seem...distracted.” Akira said.

 

Gavin bit his lip. “That kid...didn’t do anything. Did he?” He asked, looking over to Akira, looking unsettled. Akira shook his head. “Yeah...he didn’t deserve that.”

 

“Is the implication of child abuse getting to you?” Akira asked.

 

“‘Implication’? Are you fucking kidding me?” Gavin asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “That kid was murdered in cold fucking blood by his own father, that’s an obvious child abuse scenario. It’s not implied. It’s referenced.” He said, taking another drag of the cigarette. He sighed, blowing smoke out of his mouth. “You don’t...hurt kids. It’s not right.”

 

“Well, people who abuse their children might not realize that. Some people who abuse children were abused themselves and raised to believe that’s how it is with everyone and that’s how they should treat  _ their _ children.” Akira explained. “But some people are well aware of the morals and do it anyways.”

 

“Yeah…” Gavin muttered. He stared at the ground for a while before looking back to Akira. “I hate the implication that all abused kids grow up to be abusers themselves. Like, maybe some do, but not all of us.”

 

“‘Us’?” Akira asked, raising his eyebrows. Gavin’s eyes widened as if he had just realized what he said. “Gavin, is that why this scene is getting to you?” Gavin groaned and put a hand to his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

 

“Fuck.” He growled. “Guess I have to tell my tragic fucking backstory now.” He muttered, flicking some of the ashes to the ground.

 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But sometimes, it’s nice to get it out.” Akira said. “I’ll listen. And I won’t judge you for anything.”

 

“Promise you won’t tell anyone if I explain?” Gavin asked. Akira nodded. “Say it, will you?”

 

“I promise. I’ll keep it between us two. Nobody needs to know.” He promised.

 

Gavin bit the inside of his cheek before pulling the cigarette up to his lips again. “My dad used to beat me almost every day since I turned five.” He said, ripping the bandaid off, more or less. “I was homeschooled for a while, so that made everything worse. When I was a teenager, I started to do more bad shit to get those emotions out. Because of this, my dad would hit me harder, and in return, I would do more shit. Eventually, my dad sent me to a reformatory school.”

 

“Like...those schools for juvenile delinquents?” Akira asked, tilting his head.

 

“Mhm.” He nodded. “Dad’s still out there, somewhere. Not sure where, though. Maybe he’s doing the same to another kid. Not sure.” He sighed. “I lash out because of the whole mental anguish that comes with childhood trauma. I go through shitty mood swings, dissociation, flashbacks and all that.” 

 

“Have you been getting better, though?” He asked.

 

“Oh yeah, actually. My therapist is really good. She helps me out a lot.” Gavin said, nodding. “A lot of stuff still happens, but I’m doing much better than when I was...say, nineteen? Yeah, I’m doing a whole lot better.”

 

“Were your mood swings worse before you got help?” Akira asked.

 

“Uh huh.” Gavin nodded again with wide eyes, chuckling a bit. “They were horrible.”

 

“Hey, Gavin?” Akira said. Gavin looked over, making a ‘hm?’ noise. “We can transfer this case to somebody else in the department if you need. We don’t need anything bad happening because of this.”

 

“Yeah, that would be nice.” Gavin nodded, looking forward again and taking another drag of the cigarette.

 

“Alright.” Akira nodded, and his LED turned a flashing yellow for a moment. “A new set of detectives should be sent over soon enough. Once they get here, we can leave. Either back to the precinct, or maybe back to your apartment. Whichever works.”

 

Gavin nodded. “And you won’t tell anybody about what I told you, right?”

 

“No. I keep my word when I promise something.” Akira said. He saw Gavin smile. A genuine smile.

 

“Thanks, Aki.”

 

“No problem, Gav.”


End file.
